＂I saw Uncle Deng’s cooking.＂ In 1972, I spent the New Year at Deng Xiaoping’s home.

　　　　In 1972, I visited Deng Xiaoping in Nanchang, Jiangxi, and spent an unforgettable New Year at Deng Xiaoping’s home. Deng Xiaoping’s cooking skills, Zhuo Lin’s enthusiasm, and his friendship with Deng Lin’s brother and sister all remain fresh in my memory.

　　　　Visiting relatives in Nanchang on New Year’s Day

　　　　On the eve of New Year’s Day in 1972, my sisters Da Rong and Er Rong went to Nanchang from Linchuan County, Jiangxi Province to visit Uncle Deng Xiaoping. I remember that it was a cold winter. There was a layer of mist on the boundless Ganjiang River, and no ship was seen. The distant mountains were gray, and the vegetation along the river was withered and trembling in the cold wind. We came to the guest house of the provincial party Committee by the Ganjiang River, which is the designated meeting place.

　　　　It is said that after Deng Bobo and his family came to Jiangxi, they lived in a small building of Nanchang Infantry School. There was no heating or hot water in the building. When they wanted to take a bath, the old man had to boil the bath water downstairs and carry it to the bathroom upstairs in buckets, which was inconvenient. Moreover, it was easy for the old man to catch a cold when taking a bath in winter. This problem dragged on for a long time. When Huang Zhizhen, a former veteran cadre of Jiangxi Provincial Party Committee, learned about it, he made arrangements for Deng Bobo’s family to take a hot bath in the provincial party committee guest house every weekend. When I came to the guest house, Uncle Deng Xiaoping’s family happened to take a bath here.

　　　　In the living room on the second floor of the hostel, we first met Aunt Zhuo Lin, Deng Lin and Mao Mao, who had just taken a bath and were combing their hair. Uncle Deng asked them to wash first and then wash themselves. When I saw Aunt Zhuo Lin, my sister and I were filled with emotion and tears. Aunt Zhuo Lin and my mother Xiao Li were good friends during the Yan ‘an period, and they had a lot of contacts. Uncle Deng came out of the shower and was very happy to see us coming. Perhaps it was because he had just taken a shower and his face was flushed and radiant. He speaks Sichuan dialect, and we also speak Sichuan dialect, because we grew up in Chengdu and have a local accent. Visiting Uncle Deng has always been our wish. Our family has a good relationship with Uncle Deng’s family, and their children grew up together. First, we reported to Liu Junxiu, deputy director of Jiangxi Revolutionary Committee, who worked in the Jinsui Military Region with my father Li Jingquan during the War of Resistance against Japan period. Our wish was realized through the contact between Uncle Liu and Uncle Deng’s family.

　　　　Uncle Deng asked about our work and life with concern. I told him that my sister and I came to Jiangxi in 1969 and settled down in my father’s hometown, Linchuan County, to work as farmers, relying entirely on earning work points to support ourselves. Speaking of which, my sister and I took out two fish brought from our hometown, which were caught by the villagers from our pond, and some eggs saved. I told Uncle Deng that these are all fruits of labor. Please accept them for the whole family to taste. Seeing that it was getting late, we were ready to leave. On hearing this, Uncle Deng immediately said, "Don’t go today, come to our house for a few days."

　　　　Chinese New Year at Uncle Deng’s house? The Provincial Revolutionary Committee may not agree, and I am also afraid of bringing trouble to the Deng Bobo family. "I’m afraid of you. You are all little dolls. Tomorrow is the New Year. How can you go?" Uncle Deng said. Aunt Zhuo Lin also said, "You have come a long way, but you haven’t finished yet. Come home with us and spend the New Year together. Don’t worry, I’ll tell them that I can stay at home. "

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